Teachers, parents need to get a grip
San Bernardino Sun 1/28/07
From Colton Joint Unified School District schools to Cal State San Bernardino, the mood is tense as educators get ready to walk out of the classroom.
But while we agree that teaching sometimes seems an undervalued profession, it is wrong to compromise students' education by letting strikes interfere with class time.
This applies to parents as well, with some in Colton said to be preparing to keep their children home from school Monday in support of Colton teachers, who voted Jan. 18 to authorize the union to call a strike. That strike could come this week.
Working without a salary agreement since July 2005, Colton teachers have asked for a 10 percent raise over two years. The average Colton teacher's pay is $56,000, according to the union, compared with the average local teacher's salary of $62,000.
The district's counteroffer is somewhat less, although both sides are waiting for a fact-finding panel to offer a recommendation on what the district can afford.
Meanwhile, faculty and students were picketing at Cal State San Bernardino last week over a similar systemwide contract dispute, with many teachers pledging to vote yes if the union calls for a strike, though there, too, a fact-finding panel has yet to weigh in.
For teachers to talk strike before such results are in is irresponsible. Even worse is if teachers choose to walk out of the classroom. Protests and pickets should be enough to make the point. Opting to withhold instruction time as a bargaining chip serves no one - least of all, the students.
Students should not become the pawn. And parents who would keep their children out of class as a form of defiance aren't behaving any better. Playing hooky is a lesson that never should be taught to children.
Sounds like everyone could use a good timeout, so they come to the realization that they need to concentrate on education, and focus on what matters most - the students.